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Laurel Swartzentruber
Ms. McGee
A.P. English 12
30 December 2008
Mafia
The term “mafia” came about in 1282 when Sicily was being oppressed by
the French Angevins. A defiant and rebellious Sicilian group was formed that
used the battle cry, “morte alla Francia Italia anelia!” which, in Italian, means
“death to the French is Italy’s cry!” When the first letters of the battle cry are
taken, it spells MAFIA (“The True Story of the Mafia”). According to MerriamWebster Dictionary, the term “mafia” means a secret Sicilian/Italian criminal
organization. The main goal of the Mafia is to obtain money, and the money is
obtained through illegal methods. The Mafia is comprised of many families who
work together in order to commit crimes and steal money. However, the families
may often disagree, and when this happens, bloody violence is likely to break
out. It is this violence for which the Mafia is notorious.
The Mafia is organized into a structured hierarchy. The Mafia itself is
divided into families. Each family is controlled by a boss, who will settle
arguments, decide how money will be divided, and make any major decisions.
Second in command is the underboss, who can take over if the boss is sick,
killed, or arrested. The underboss can also help settle disputes so that the boss
can focus on more important matters. Under the underboss are the capos. The
capos lead their own smaller families within the arrangement of the larger family.
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They will still report back to the boss and the underboss. Next in line are the
soldiers. The soldiers make little money and have little power. They are in the
lowest rank, and they perform most of the actual crimes. The Mafia may also
use associates, who do not actually belong to the Mafia. Associates perform
inside jobs, and could be bankers, lawyers, or even police officers. These
associates can secretly perform tasks for the Mafia. Finally, the Mafia may
contain a consigliere. The consigliere is merely an outsider who will make
unbiased and rational decisions for the Mafia (“How the Mafia Works”).
When someone wishes to become a member of the Mafia, he must first
prove that he is of Italian heritage. Second, he must go through an induction
ceremony. In the ceremony, he will recite oaths of loyalty, promising that he will
always put the Mafia ahead of his birth family and even God. Then, he must
draw blood by pricking his trigger finger. Sometimes he will be required to
demonstrate his loyalty by participating in some sort of crime, such as a murder
(“How the Mafia Works”).
When a top godfather was arrested in Sicily in 2007, the police also found
the Mafia’s Ten Commandments. This list of secret rules was centered on
possessing an undying loyalty to the Mafia. A Mafia member can never be seen
with the police, and must never go to pubs or clubs. Wives of mafia members
are to be respected at all times, and members may never look at the wives of
other Mafia members. They must always tell the truth, keep all appointments,
and hold strong moral values. The most important rules, however, is that they
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must always keep a code of total secrecy, also known as “omerta” (“The Mafia’s
Ten Commandments”).
In order to gain money, the Mafia participate in many illegal activities. The
most common activity is extortion, which is the illegal use of power to gain
property or money. For example, a Mafia member may threaten someone into
giving up money. The Mafia may also obtain money through the use of alcohol,
illegal drugs, gambling, prostitution, burglaries, muggings, kidnapping for ransom,
hijacking, terrorism, and assassinations (“How the Mafia Works”).
There are five main Mafia groups: Sicilian Mafia, Camorra Mafia,
Calabrian Mafia, Sacra Corona Unita, and La Cosa Nostra. These five groups all
originated in the Italian/Sicilian area, but La Cosa Nostra moved to the United
States and is now known as the American Mafia. Mafia families used to be
named by the region or city from where they originated. However, sometimes
families will be named after their current bosses, especially if the boss is powerful
and well-known (“How the Mafia Works”).
The American Mafia came about in the 1800’s when Sicilian immigrants
started moving to the United States. The first major Mafia incident occurred in
New Orleans in the 1890’s. A crime family was hassled by a local chief of police,
and the family later murdered this police officer. When the family was tried in
court, they bribed key witnesses to lie, and they were acquitted. The public was
enraged at the acquittal, and an angry mob formed that marched down to the
jailhouse. A total of sixteen men were either shot or hanged by members of the
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Mafia. This one event was the start of the American Mafia (“How the Mafia
Works”).
The Mafia also still runs rampant in Sicily, despite efforts to extinguish the
violent and dangerous group. In the mid-1980’s, the assassinations of several
famous prosecutors sparked a huge trial against the Mafia. A total of 474
defendants were tried, and 338 were eventually found to be guilty. This event
came to be known as the Maxi trial. Despite all of the arrests, however, this still
did not put a stop to the Sicilian Mafia (“Maxi Trial”).
Many efforts have been made to fight the Mafia. The government passed
a law in 1970 called the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act,
otherwise known as RICO. RICO prevents people from making money through
illegal activities. This act was passed mainly to prevent organized crime.
Breaking this law will add extra prison years to extortion and gambling charges.
Another method of stopping the Mafia is to send in undercover FBI agents to
pose as Mafia members. Although this is an extremely dangerous job, it proved
successful for Joseph Pistone, who worked undercover for six years and posed
as a Mafia associate named Donnie Brasco (“How the Mafia Works”).
Today, viewers are fascinated with Hollywood Mafia movies such as
Scarface and The Godfather. In reality, however, the Mafia is a scary and
dangerous organization. Despite efforts to end it, the Mafia is still unrestrained in
parts of Sicily, Italy, and the United States. The schemes to make money quickly
lead to violence, illegal activities, and organized crime, and the citizens are
seemingly powerless to stop this domineering group.
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Works Cited
"HowStuffWorks "How the Mafia Works"" Howstuffworks "People Channel" 31
Dec. 2008 <http://people.howstuffworks.com/mafia.htm>.
"Maxi Trial: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article."
AbsoluteAstronomy.com. 31 Dec. 2008
<http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Maxi_Trial>.
“Police discover Mafia’s ‘Ten Commandments’ after arresting Godfather.” Mail
Online. 8 Nov. 2007. 13 Jan. 2009
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-492449/Police-discover-MafiasTen-Commandments-arresting-Godfather.html.
"RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) - Crimes." Law
Library - American Law and Legal Information. 31 Dec. 2008
<http://law.jrank.org/pages/1960/RICO-Racketeer-Influenced-CorruptOrganizations-Act-Crimes.html>.
"Top Ten Mafia Movies - Associated Content." Associated Content associatedcontent.com. 31 Dec. 2008
<http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/20980/top_ten_mafia_movies.h
tml?cat=40>.
"The True Story of the Mafia A Lost Family of Honor." Gambino City Index and
Windows 2000/NT hosting service. Homeof the Godfather of the Net. 30
Dec. 2008 <http://www.gambino.com/mafia.htm>.